Stormhand
Stormhand is one of the planet Diakatan's major Human kingdoms. Despite its small size, it continues to thrive thanks to its powerful ruler, King Gerreth. Etymology The name "Stormhand" derives from the nickname given to the founder of the kingdom, Volar Gerreth. He had discovered the first of many artifacts under what would become known as Volar Castle, which is known as the Gauntlet of Storms. Geography Stormhand is nestled in between several dangerous locations, including not only the lands of vampires and werewolves, but also the Badlands. Vassalages The kingdom of Stormhand is divided into six provinces, ruled over by the families of Volar Gerreth's surviving expedition team. Each province is centered around a fortified tower to allow its inhabitants to view the surrounding lands and keep an eye out for trouble such as invading armies. The first vassalage is the Volar Province, which consists of the kingdom's central area. This is the ruling zone and it is here that King Gerreth himself is seated within Volar Castle. The region is expansive and primarily consists of sprawling grasslands, although small forests also dot the landscape. The second vassalage is the Endox Province, which reaches along the northern coastline, bordering Loren Forest and the Sovereign Isles and forming the upper segment of Tranquil Bay. The ruling vassal, Lord Endox, can be found guarding Point Akuze, and from here the nation is protected from the denizens of the dark forest, such as the Spider Cult and Forest Trolls. They have a tenuous alliance with the Wood Elves that also inhabit the forest. The region primarily consists of tranquil and beautiful coastlines in its eastern regions and becoming densely-packed forest in the north. Glades and warm, sunny beaches are common here. The third vassalage is the Byrd Province, which extends along much of the kingdom's northern border, thereby bordering both Loren Forest and Myrebog. The ruling vassal, Lord Byrd, can be found in Inzult Tower where he guards the kingdom from not only the denizens of Loren Forest but also the cannibalistic ghouls and bloodthirsty vampires skulking throughout the wetlands of Myrebog. Like its neighbor, Endox Province, it has a tenuous alliance with the Wood Elves, but it is not considered nearly as successful as Endox as Myrebog was once considered Stormhand territory. The fear of vampire attacks leave Byrd citizens some of the least happy and most stressed in the entire kingdom. The region primarily consists of densely-packed forests that slowly open up into bogs, mires, quagmires, and the rare alkaline fen. A few hillocks can be seen dotting its southwestern regions. The fourth vassalage is the Anamika Province, which extends into the Evercold Mountains. Ruled over by Lady Anamika from the Focusing Ring, she protects the kingdom from the threat of undead invasion via the evil lich Mordeth who inhabits the labyrinthine Evercold Glacier. Because of the very real threat of Mordeth at their doorstep, Anamika Province is the most magically-inclined region in the kingdom strictly out of sheer necessity. It is here in fact that the Mage's College has been placed for strategic purpose, where all of the kingdom's mages can focus their energies into the Focusing Ring to provide the kingdom with a makeshift magical death ray should the need ever arise. The region primarily consists of sparse forests and a number of hillocks, most of which are built into emplacements. Foothills form the borders of the region with the Evercold Mountains, and of these many have been excavated to house subterranean defensive forts as a first line of defense. The fifth vassalage is the Ulnar Province, the smallest existing province. Ruled over by Lord Ulnar from his secluded Château Rose, or the Rose Manor. The most corrupt of all regions, Ulnar spent most of his province's funds building his extravagant home instead of arming his militia and as such, much of this land has been lost to the bordering Lycansylvania. Because the lycanthrope epidemic has become so widespread in the region, he is now rarely seen beyond his property and is not well-liked amongst his subjects. Although not controlled by Ulnar, a clandestine society has formed known as the Iron Ring that tries to aid both the Anamika and Trapezio Provinces as best they can. The region primarily consists of forested foothills along its entire region, with hillocks forming its northern border as it breaks up into grasslands. Ulnar Province is a major supplier of silver to the region, though primarily through the machinations of the Iron Ring Society. The sixth and final vassalage is the Trapezio Province, which extends along the southern coastline, bordering Lycansylvania and the Sovereign Isles and forming the lower segment of Tranquil Bay. The ruling vassal, Baron Trapezio, rules from Pollex Spire and is the descendant of Volar Gerreth's friend, a ringmaster of a traveling theater troupe. In ages past this region was the center of culture and theater for the kingdom, but the Lycanthrope Epidemic has put a massive strain on this aspect of the Province. He is barely aided by the neighboring Ulnar Province, though he does receive aid from their Iron Ring Society as well in the form of silver ore for weaponry as well as the occasional aid from the Volar and Endox Provinces in the form of soldiers. The region primarily consists of dense forest for most of its terrain but this breaks up into tranquil coastline and rocky beaches further east. Unlike beautiful Endox, Trapezio is usually considered dark and dreary, with heavy fog clinging to the land in the early morning and late night hours, along with more likelihood of overcast skies blotting out the sun and overall chillier days. Biodiversity Sapient Species Stormhand is almost primarily inhabited by Diakatanian Humans. Other sapients occasionally invade the region but are quickly pushed back. Because of the nature of their kingdom, they are suspicious of any travelers entering their lands, but especially so during times of duress. Those who gain the trust of the populace are more likely to be given a tenuous berth to continue about their business, though the stress of always feeling to be an outsider for years to follow keeps most other sapient races out. Wildlife Wildlife is common in all of the Stormhand regions, although what may live in a region varies from vassalage to vassalage. Vegetation Vegetation is highly varied, although the majority of the land is covered in Staticgrass, a species of grass-equivalent unique to the region and that is known to glow with static energy during the stormier autumn months. History Culture Government Stormhand is a monarchy, ruled by the widower-king, Alonsus Gerreth. King Gerreth sees himself as reaching his prime, and has been anticipating this and planning for his son, Ferdinand Gerreth to take his place. Currently Prince Ferdinand rides across the country, righting wrongs and making sure the kingdom is in shapely order, both for the betterment of the people and to keep the government abreast on the goings-on in their kingdom, but also to teach the young prince the skills necessary when he makes the eventual ascension to kinghood. Language Stormhand speaks a dialect of Primarean Common, which is directly evolved from American and British English from the 1940s as this was the time that human beings were transported to the planet. Certain provinces may speak the languages of neighboring regions to varying degrees as well; for instance, while the Endox Province are known to occasionally speak Wood Elf due to their proximity to Loren Forest, the Trapezio Province instead can be found intersplicing their language with Badlander slang. Both of these provinces also speak varying levels of dialects found within the Sovereign Isles, though sparsely. Politics Economy Infrastructure Currency In honor of the now-extinct Centro who brought them to the planet, Stormhand continues to use Drannell as its official currency. However each vassalage also has developed their own currency for use in their own borders. Endox is known for using Stormwhorls, based upon several types of shells found to wash up on their beaches, with each type of shell design warranting different currency worth. Byrd on the other hand use Knots, which are literal tree knots taken from trees that have (usually) fallen naturally; they fear retaliation from the Wood Elves if they were to harvest Knots from living trees which means they are less common than the regular Drannell in the region. Anamika has a unique currency which is simply known as The Word. Instead of an actual physical currency, the Anamikans trade in spoken, magic-inducing words that will allow the user to become more adept at spellcasting by giving them portions of various spells that others may know and even mastered. Ulnari deal in Rosettes, and they are considered very valuable as Lord Ulnar himself tries to horde all of the ones he can get his grubby hands on. They are exceeding rare outside of Château Rose for this reason, and therefore most trades are done in Drannell. Tropezians are unique in that they exclusively deal in Drannell, but the Drannell minted in Tropezio are far more extravagant to the point of being considered gaudy. Machines on the streets would transfix the small gems and gold dust onto regular Drannell coins for a nominal fee, which in the region's heyday was a common activity, as Tropezian Drannell (colloquially referred to as "Fancydran") are considered worth nearly twice as much as the value of the corresponding base coinage. With the epidemic however, this procedure is not considered nearly as important as living. As such, the gaudy Fancydran may fall away. Traffic Traffic in larger cities is commonly bustling with foot traffic, with smaller, back alley sections designed for moving freight by way of carriage. In smaller settlements, traffic is sparse and it is easy to move through these regions. Roads The roadways between the various settlements can easily accommodate a pair of carriages, and they are often flanked on either side of the road with a turn off in case the carriages come into contact with the local militia on the move, which has the right of way. It is only during these marches that any real traffic problems may occur. Resource Deposits Each province of Stormhand is expected to make use of the resources at their disposal and distribute their surplus amongst the other provinces, though due to the constant threats of attack along the borders they are expected to keep a majority of it for themselves to better arm themselves against their numerous foes. #Volar Province has the greatest farmland and as such supplies a lot of excess food to the other regions. #Endox Province provides sand and sandstone whenever necessary, and is a great processor of salt from the oceans. Despite bordering the massive Loren Forest, they know better than to betray the trust of the local and somewhat fanatical Wood Elves. #Byrd Province provides roughly 40% of the kingdom's lumber from their excursions into the neighboring Myrebog, and also provide large levels of peat, used for explosives and other things. Like Endox, their border with Loren Forest is left untamed. #Anamika Province provides ice (including glacial ice) and various minerals mined from the foothills. Gold is also commonly extracted from the region. #Ulnar Province is corrupt, and very little export is ever actually seen leaving the region. Luckily for others, the Iron Ring Society successfully exports silver to other regions, especially to Trapezio. #Trapezio Province provides coal for fires and stone for masonry, as well as 38% of the kingdom's lumber from its borders with Lycansylvania. Gold was once a common export from here as it was sifted out of the silty rivers, but this is not currently a viable activity as werewolves patrol the wilderness. Military The military of Stormhand is fairly strong, although its greatest strength lies in the powerful artifacts worn by its king, Alonsus Gerreth, as well as the lesser artifacts given to his vassals to protect their own regions. The king's son is also accompanied by two highly adept soldiers, and wherever Prince Ferdinand goes they follow, giving exceptional aid to any region they set foot in, albeit temporarily. Even so, the armed military might of Stormhand is not enough to push back their enemies, and they are in a state of stalemate currently. Notable Locations Volar Province *Gerreth Memorial Center *Polm *Volar Castle Endox Province *Endox Family Mausoleum *Point Akuze Byrd Province *Grand Aviary & Byrd Family Crypt *Inzult Tower Anamika Province *Anamika Family End-Chambers *Focusing Ring *Mage's College Ulnar Province *Château Rose & Ulnar Family Cemetery *Iron Ring Society Headquarters Trapezio Province *Extravagant Plaza *Pollex Spire *Trapezio Family Mausoleum Known Stormhanders *Volar the Brave (real name Volar Gerreth), founder of Stormhand **Alonsus Gerreth, the Widower-King & current ruler of Stormhand ***Ferdinand Gerreth, Prince heir to the throne *Lars Gamohyle, Badlander immigrant and royal guardian of the wayward prince *Axel Kolanthe, royal guardian of the wayward prince *Durden Endox, soldier and member of Volar's Expedition **Lord Rathic Endox, current lord of Endox Province *Granthatch Byrd, falconer and member of Volar's Expedition **Lord Pryden Byrd, current lord of Byrd Province *Zoanias of the Blue (real name Zoanias Anamika), wizard of the Hidden Council and of Volar's Expedition **Lady Jenidal Anamika, current lady of Anamika Province *Ulnar the Magnanimous (real name Dodan Ulnar), soldier member of Volar's Expedition **Lord Ezek Ulnar, current corrupt lord of Ulnar Province *Trapezio the Fantastical (real name Trapezio Galiph), member of Volar's Expedition **Baron Spenzanieka Trapezio, current ruler of Trapezio Province List of Known Wildlife Category:Somarinoa Category:Location Category:Diakatan